1. Killing Them Softly (Weinstein Company, 2,424 Theaters, 97 Minutes, Rated R): A gangster film that’s a parable for the world economic crisis? That’s something you don’t see everyday.
This film is an adaptation of the 1974 novel Cogan’s Trade. Three men come up with a brilliant idea. They’re going to steal money from a illegal card game. One problem: that card game is fronted by the Mob and the Mob needs the money the guys stole in order to run their operation. So they send Jackie Cogan out to get the money back so they can get back to good financial standing.
Brad Pitt is usually good in these kind of crime capers, and considering the other option this week, this film might be the best bet.
2. The Collection (LD Entertainment, 1,403 Theaters, 82 Minutes, Rated R): 2009’s The Collector had an fairly unique premise: a man intending to rob the house of a rich family stumbles upon a psychotic who is holding the family captive and has booby trapped the house. The thief is forced to try and save the family he was trying to rob.
It was so unique that it doesn’t really lend itself to a sequel. It’s not like the same thief can rob the same house that has been invaded by the same psycho.
The producers think they have figured a way around this. The Collector has capture another victim, the daughter of a wealthy man. The wealthy man hire mercenaries to go get her back. The first thing the mercenaries do is kidnap someone with experience with the Collector–the thief from the first movie.
